Sam Kerr is a "shy" and "reserved" person away from the spotlight, friends of the footballer accused of racially aggravated harassment have told court.
The Australian soccer star is on trial for racial abuse, alleged to have taken place in January 2023, when she called a police officer "stupid and white".
Defending her comments at Metropolitan Police Constable Stephen Lovell, Ms Kerr told the court she became "very angry" and had felt the officer was treating her differently due to the colour of her skin.
On the stand, former Chelsea Football Club team mate Carly Telford was asked if Ms Kerr usually presented as an arrogant person.
She replied "far from it" and added that "away from the pitch" Ms Kerr is "quiet, quite reserved" and "quite shy".
In other character witness statements read to the court, friends said they trusted the 31-year-old with their lives.
On day five of the trial, the prosecution summed up its case against Ms Kerr, asking to jury to consider if she had called a black police officer "stupid and black".
'What if PC Lovell had been a black man'
In his closing address to the jury, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC, said the evidence made it clear Ms Kerr had intended to racially harass Constable Lovell.
"What if PC Lovell had been a black man, and what if she had called him "f***ing stupid and black?," Mr Emlyn Jones KC posed to the jury, before admitting, "that's not really a fair question".
"The white population is not an ethnic minority, a racial insult aimed at a white man does not carry with it the hurt and injustice of years, decades, centuries, of personal and collective experience of prejudice and discrimination.
"But the fact remains, in the heat of the moment, this was an insult … delivered with reference to race and that is what the law prohibits".
In court yesterday, Ms Kerr denied using the officer's "whiteness" as an insult, instead saying she was making a comment about the officer's "power" and "privilege".
Ms Kerr's comments were captured on the police body cam of Constable Shane Scott inside Twickenham police station on January 30, 2023.
The court heard their taxi driver drove them to the station, at the direction of police, who he had phoned after becoming concerned about their behaviour.
Ms Kerr and Ms Mewis both denied knowing that at the time in court this week.
The vision showed to the jury shows Ms Kerr and her partner telling police they thought they had been held against their will by the taxi driver.
Ms Mewis admitted to kicking through and smashing one of the taxi's window but said she only did so because she was scared.
Both Ms Kerr and Ms Mewis said they felt the officers were being dismissive of their story.
Much of the body cam footage centres around who would pay for the damage to the taxi.
The prosecution argued that the pair were drunk and "kicking off" in the back of the taxi, with alcohol impairing their impression about what was happening on the night.
Ms Kerr told the court this week that she was "very angry" in the police station, because she felt the officers were treating her differently because of her skin colour.
But Mr Emlyn Jones said what happened in the taxi journey, and what the jury made of how Constables Lovell, Lim and Scott handled the situation, was irrelevant to the case and the law.
The prosecutor said Ms Kerr had admitted her language "could have caused distress".
He said Constable Lovell didn't "over-egg" his second statement about the incident, in which he said being called "stupid and white" made him feel "shocked", "upset", "belittled" and "humiliated".
Those feelings were described by the prosecutor as "totally reasonable … totally plausible" before saying the jury would have to assess that evidence for themselves.
"I'm not going to prove she's a card-carrying racist … only that when she was very drunk, very angry, her usual character and behaviour had gone out the window, there and then she did demonstrate hostility … by reference to the fact he happens to be white," he said.
"Normally she wouldn't have behaved like that, normally she wouldn't commit this offence but drink and anger, even righteous anger, all of those meant these were not normal circumstances — these are circumstances in which, sadly, she did something she should not have done, something that makes her guilty of the offence."
The defence for Ms Kerr will summarise its argument on Monday.
Sam Kerr described as 'introverted extrovert'
Earlier on Friday, Ms Kerr's friend Carly Telford took to the stand as a character witness.
Ms Telford was asked by Ms Kerr's lawyer, Grace Forbes, if Ms Kerr was an arrogant person.
"Far from it, I think I'd like to describe Sam as an introverted extrovert," Ms Telford said.
"The extravert is [on] the pitch, it's the fun, it's the flamboyancy, it's the flips, it's the magic. But actually away from the pitch she's quiet, quite reserved, has her friends has her comforts, is quite shy."
She recalled meeting Ms Kerr in 2012 playing soccer in Perth.
Ms Telford, then a goalkeeper, broke her hand after accidentally punching Ms Kerr in the head as they competed for the same ball.
To clarify the evidence being recorded, Judge Peter Lodder questioned who punched who, drawing laughter from the jury and public gallery, including Ms Kerr's family.
She said Ms Kerr came to speak with her after the match to check on her welfare and stayed in touch, becoming teammates and firm friends.
"The real Sam is someone who is reliable, is trustworthy, is someone I would trust with my life."
Ms Forbes read several character witness statements to the court, including from the former manager of Chelsea's women's team, Emma Hayes and Chelsea teammate Millie Bright.
"Sam is someone who I would trust my life with and who I would go to for emotional support," Ms Bright said in her statement.
"I go to Sam for advice, whether that be relationship situations, family situations or advice on any other important things.
"I value Sam's opinion, and I know she's someone who genuinely cares about the people around her."
Ms Hayes's statement said that Ms Kerr is "calm and level-headed when things get heated" and someone "every teammate and coach would put on their team."
Her mother, Roxanne Kerr, said that her daughter "is the most generous person I know".
"She will always fight for what is right and she is a very loyal and passionate person," Roxanne Kerr said in her written statement.
Sam Kerr looked down in the dock as the kind words were read to the court.
At other times she appeared calm but remained expressionless as she has done for much of the trial.
She is the captain of the Australian Matildas, and still plays for Chelsea in the UK's Women's Super League.
She hasn't played for more than a year for either Australia or Chelsea after suffering a knee injury in early 2024.
